Furnace roofs



pri M, i967 A. BlRsE 3,339254 FURNACE RooFs Filed Nov. 25, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INvEww-OE MaJ/mm AT1-Dewey April H, 1967 A. l.. BiRsE 3,33f254 FURNACE ROOFS Filed Nov. 23, 1964 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR @Ya/mgm United States Patent O 3,313,254 FURNACE ROFS Alexander Low Birse, Bonnybridge, Scotland, assigner to John G. Stein & Company Limited Filed Nov. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 413,234 2 Claims. (Cl. 11G-99) This invention relates to furnace roofs and provides an improved manner of suspending refractory bricks to constitute such a roof.

The invention provides a suspended roof structure, comprising a plurality of spaced, parallel, elongated support members and a plurality of bricks suspended in pairs from the said support member so that each member supports two side-by-side rows of bricks, each brick having a suspension means positioned adjacent one edge of the brick and extending upwardly into supported engagement with the appropriate support member, characterized in that there is at least one pair of bricks of which one brick has a pair of suspension means which are spaced apart in the direction of the length of the support member, and the other brick has a suspension means which is accommodated between the said spaced suspension means.

The invention also includes a novel brick for use in the repair of such a roof structure.

A particular advantage of constructions in accordance with the invention is that the repair of a damaged roof is greatly facilitated, it being possible to insert new bricks to form a patch without disturbing adjacent brickwork.

Further features and advantages of the invention, whose scope is deiined in the appended claims, will appear from the following description, given by way of example only, of preferred embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings7 in which:

FIGURE l is a plan view of -a section of a furnace roof structure in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of some of the components of the roof structure;

FIGURE 3 is a view on the arrow III of FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 4 is a view in the line IV-IV of FIGURE l, showing one of the bricks being lowered into position.

In the furnace roof structure illustrated, each of the refractory bricks 1 and 2 used in the construction of the roof is provided with la suspension member in the form of a sheet metal tab 3, rigidly and permanently secured to the brick, and which projects from the cold (upper) end of the brick substantially in the plane of one side face of the brick. The bricks are suspended from rolled steel girders or joists 4 of I section, the joists being disposed with their webs horizontal and their anges 6 vertical. Each joist 4 serves to support four parallel rows of bricks. In the initial construction of the roof, all the bricks used have their suspension tab 3 formed with a hole 7, as is seen clearly in FIGURE 2. Pairs of bricks are arranged back to back, so that their suspension tabs 3 are adjacent and the holes 7 in them coincide. Such a pair of bricks is suspended by means of a single S-shaped hanger 9, whose lower hook engages in the holes 7 of the suspension tabs 3, while its upper hook engages over the flange 6 at one side of the joist 4. Another pair of bricks is similarly supported on the other flange of the joist, so that the four bricks hang adjacent one another with the two inner bricks beneath the joist. Similar sets of four bricks are hung `along the length of the joist to form a continuous roof.

A damaged roof can be repaired by replacing any single pair of the bricks 1 (or any required number of such pairs) without disturbing the yremaining bricks. To effect such repairs, there are provided special bricks 2 in which the suspension tab 3 is cut away above the hole 7,

Eld Patented Apr. li, i967 ICC leaving a portion of U shape, and two hooks or hangers 11 of inverted J shape have their Shanks Welded to the inner faces of the two limbs of this U, so that the hooks of the hangers project inwardly over the top of the brick. Each brick 2 is thus provided with a pair of upwardly projecting suspension means which are spaced apart along the adjacent edge of the brick, and the suspension means are contained substantially within the boundaries of the -birck when Viewed in plan.

Assuming a pair of bricks in the roof to be missing, one of the special bricks 2 is lowered thro-ugh the gap left by the outer brick of the pair and then moved laterally inwardly under the joist 4, so -as to take the place of the inner brick of the missing pair, its two hangers 11 being engaged over the flange 6 of the joist 4 to support the brick in position. A brick 1 of the standard form, provided with its own S shaped hanger 9, can then be slipped into position, as indicated in FIGURE 4, to replace the outer brick of the missing pair, its hanger engaging the flange 6 of the joist 4 between the two hangers 11 of the special brick 2. The cutting away of the suspension tab 3 of the special brick 2 prevents this tab from being fouled by the S shaped hanger 9 of its companion brick.

The invention is not, of course, limited to the precise construction described above, this description of particular embodiments of the invention being intended by way of example only. The invention may be applied to bricks of any material, including basic bricks, both burnt and unburnt, and high alumina bricks. The suspension tab 3 may be attached to the brick in any convenient way. It may, for example, have a portion embedded in the brick, or it may be secured to, or formed integral with, a metal member embedded in the brick. It may also be attached to or formed integral with a casing, either moulded with the brick, or applied to it -after moulding.

I claim:

1. A suspended roof structure, comprising a horizontal I-section girder (4) having vertical flanges (6);

a rst pair of spaced horizontal rows of first bricks (1,1) parallel with said girder;

a second pair of rows of second bricks (2,2) parallel with and arranged between said first bricks, :all of said bricks lying in a common horizontal plane at a lower elevation than said girder, said -rows of second bricks being arranged bene-ath said girder and having a total lateral extent at least as great as that of said girder; and

a plurality of suspension means lassociated with each of said rst and second bricks, respectively, for suspending from one of said anges one row of said iirst bricks and one row of said second bricks and for suspending from the other of said flanges the other rows of said rst and second bricks, each of said suspension means being connected at its lower end with a given brick of one of said row pairs at the side thereof adjacent the corresponding brick of the other row pair, the suspension means of said given brick comprising a pair of trst suspension members (11,11) spaced longitudinally yof the .associated ange, and the suspension means of said corresponding brick comprising a second suspension member (9) arranged between said first suspension members, the suspension means of that one of said given and corresponding bricks lying in said second pair of rows (2,2) being contained wholly within the boundary of said brick as viewed in plan, whereby said given and corresponding bricks may be successively connected with said flange without disturbing any of the other bricks.

2. The method of repairing a suspended roof structure including a horizontal I-section girder (4) having Vertical flanges, a first pair of spaced parallel rows of rst bricks (1,1) parallel with said iianges, a second pair of rows c-f second bricks (2,2) parallel with and arranged between said first bricks, all of said bricks lying in a common horizontal plane at a lower elevation than said girder, said rows of second bricks being arranged beneath said girder and having a total lateral extent at least as great as that of said girder, and a plurality of suspension means associated with each of said irst and second bricks, respectively, for suspending from one of said anges one row of said first bricks and one row of said second bricks and for suspending from the other of said flanges the other rows of said rst and second bricks, said structure containing a space caused by the removal of one of said second bricks and the corresponding adjacent rst brick, which comprises the steps of lowering into the space left by the missing pair of said bricks a replacement brick (2) having a spaced pair of suspension hooks (11,11) disposed adjacent one vertical face of said brick, said hooks extending upwardly and inwardly and being contained wholly within the boundaries of the brick as Viewed in plan;

flange.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Morlock 11G-99 Heuer 110,-99 X Heuer 11G- 99 Grigsby 110-99 Ross 110-99 Napora 110-99 Vsmiani 110-99 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia.

FREDERICK KETTERER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SUSPENDED ROOF STRUCTURE, COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL I-SECTION GIRDER (4) HAVING VERTICAL FLANGES (6); A FIRST PAIR OF SPACED HORIZONTAL ROWS OF FIRST BRICKS (1, 1) PARALLEL WITH SAID GIRDER; A SECOND PAIR OF ROWS OF SECOND BRICKS (2, 2) PARALLEL WITH AND ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID FIRST BRICKS, ALL OF SAID BRICKS LYING IN A COMMON HORIZONTAL PLANE AT A LOWER ELEVATION THAN SAID GIRDER, SAID ROWS OF SECOND BRICKS BEING ARRANGED BENEATH SAID GIRDER AND HAVING A TOTAL LATERAL EXTENT AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THAT OF SAID GIRDER; AND A PLURALITY OF SUSPENSION MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND BRICKS, RESPECTIVELY, FOR SUSPENDING FROM ONE OF SAID FLANGES ONE ROW OF SAID FIRST BRICKS AND ONE ROW OF SAID SECOND BRICKS AND FOR SUSPENDING FROM THE OTHER OF SAID FLANGES THE OTHER ROWS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND BRICKS, EACH OF SAID SUSPENSION MEANS BEING CONNECTED AT ITS LOWER END WITH A GIVEN BRICK OF ONE OF SAID ROW PAIRS AT THE SIDE THEREOF ADJACENT THE CORRESPONDING BRICK OF THE OTHER ROW PAIR, THE SUSPENSION MEANS OF SAID GIVEN BRICK COMPRISING A PAIR OF FIRST SUSPENSION MEMBERS (11, 11) SPACED LONGITUDINALLY OF THE ASSOCIATED FLANGE, AND THE SUSPENSION MEANS OF SAID CORRESPONDING BRICK COMPRISING A SECOND SUSPENSION MEMBER (9) ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID FIRST SUSPENSION MEMBERS, THE SUSPENSION MEANS OF THAT ONE OF SAID GIVEN AND CORREPONDING BRICKS LYING IN SAID SECOND PAIR OF ROWS (2,2) BEING CONTAINED WHOLLY WITHIN THE BOUNDARY OF SAID BRICK AS VIEWED IN PLAN, WHEREBY SAID GIVEN AND CORRESPONDING BRICKS MAY BE SUCCESSIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID FLANGE WITHOUT DISTRIBUING ANY OF THE OTHER BRICKS. 